February 2010 Archives

Love him or hate him, there is a reason Jay Leno has been #1 and will soon be #1 again in the late night wars.

He will book anyone necessary to get ratings - as evidenced by the top guest on his second night back - Ms. Sarah Palin.

Add to the mix Shaun White, Lindsey Vonn, Apolo Ohno, Brad Paisley, the cast of Jersey Shore and I think it's game over for Dave as soon as Jay returns. The Letterman vs. Leno battle will last all but one week.

The absolutely horrendous Olympic coverage which not only sucks but will LOSE millions of dollars. (The latest horrible decision was to air the TAPE-DELAYED2-man Bobsled coverage on NBC over one of the best LIVE Olympic hockey games in years - USA vs. Canada. I'm sure JZ would say it was a brilliant move on his part to force people to find MSNBC on their televisions.)

... at this point, it's a matter of credibility. And he has none.

Imagine Jeff Zucker standing in front of a group of Wall Street investor analysts with his PowerPoint slides and telling them "This is the future of television..." "This is the direction Comcast/NBC needs to go..." "Here are my ideas on how to turn things around..." etc.

Seriously, who the hell would believe he has the answers? And why does he even get the chance to give the answers. NBC was once great. All the missteps really started to snowball AFTER he become Chairman & CEO. He is into his fourth year and has thus far proven nothing to nobody.

Basta. Enough.

However, in an effort to make my entries a little more positive, I'm going to attempt to end them all on an upbeat note. So... that said... I do like the bulky ski resort sweaters Jeff Zucker has been wearing as he talks up NBC's suck ass Olympic coverage on CNBC.

As Tiger Woods slowly reemerges from hiding and Team-Tiger Damage Control goes full throttle, there is an interesting parallel to be made between the Tiger/Elin Woods drama and the NBC/Conan O'Brien drama (which cost all of us a few months out of our lives).

Imagine Conan and Elin on one side and Tiger, Jay Leno, Jeff Zucker and NBC and on the other.

The parallel begins with a couple of a wide-eyed youths - dreaming of the big time.

Conan:Jay Leno retires from "The Tonight Show" and prepares to launch an ill-conceived prime time talk show - "The Jay Leno Show". Conan, believing NBC's promise, happily takes over the reigns of "The Tonight Show" and looks forward to a long and prosperous run as host.

Elin: Tiger Woods retires from his crazy single days and prepares for an ill-conceived life of domestic bliss. Elin, believing Tiger, happily sets up a life of wealth and prosperity (and has two children to complete the ideal picture).

Conan: Having finalized the divorce from NBC, agrees to a deal with TBS.

Elin: After finalizing the divorce from Tiger, agrees to go on a disastrous first date with Rory Sabbatini (or some other less successful golfer that wishes he was Tiger Woods). She breaks her promise not to talk about Tiger's affairs and loses everything. The book doesn't sell and she moves in with John Daly.

Conan couldn't in good conscious stay at NBC (even though his dream life went up in flames) and you can't stay with Tiger (even though your dream life has gone up in flames). Take the money and run to that house in Sweden. You will have a better future.

From where I sit at my breakfast nook in La Canada, California, 3,000 miles from IAC's headquarters in New York, Barry Diller seems to be getting tired of it all.

Yesterday, when I listened to IAC's earnings call, I got the sense that Mr. Diller could care less about what he's doing these days. His answers were short and he seemed generally distracted and uninterested.

When IAC was formed a few years ago, it was all very exciting. A promising collection of digital assets that would destroy old media. Mr. Diller was on the cutting-edge of this brave new media world, leaving his dinosaur studio pals in the dust with their "movies" and "television shows".

In my opinion, it is the perfect logo for the company. Everything you need to know about Electus and its future success is represented in the design of that logo.Accompanying the logo (on the IAC website - Electus.com is... still to come) is a new description of the company. (Could we be getting close to launch?): "Led by founder Ben Silverman, Electusis a next generation studio
enabling premium content creators to engage with advertising and
technology partners at the inception of the creative process and
partner on the finished product across a global and multi-platform
distribution model.

"Electus is defining an innovative advertising
component, which will challenge the traditional entertainment silos,
allowing content creators and branding partners to develop premium
programs and reach audiences like never before. The content will be
distributed globally through the Electus international distribution arm
as well as across a multitude of analog and digital platforms."

Because nothing says "Next Generation" like a logo with A HORSE AND BUGGY ON IT!

About Jill Kennedy

Manka Bros. (and the Manka Business Channel) hired her (for a very low sum) to cover the world of media (not the world of Medea) in her own words without corporate interference.

About Medea

Medea was a real bitch from classical mythology - as most famously dramatized by Euripides.

She was a sorceress and wife of Jason, whom she assisted in obtaining the Golden Fleece. When Jason deserted her, she chopped up their children. One could say, Medea acted as rationally as a major media company.